The volunteers were able to get a glimpse into the reality of what it's like for those who sleep rough.
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00:00 The new year has brought in strong winds with Storm Aisha and consequently harsher conditions for the homeless community in Kent.
00:07 But this big sleep out event is challenging local volunteers to give up their bed to not only raise vital funds but to show the Kent public the struggles of sleeping rough.
00:15 I'm at Chatham Dockside and I'm about to find out where I'll be sleeping tonight.
00:19 I can already feel the cold weather and whilst I'm giving up my normal night's sleep to raise money, this is the reality for many without housing or support across the county.
00:28 This year is actually Porchlight's 50th anniversary. It's incredibly sad that there has been 50 years of homelessness and we're not in any way celebrating that.
00:38 It's more of a mark really that this is happening, it continues to happen and we continue to champion vulnerable people across Kent.
00:49 All the volunteers have been provided with some materials to help create their own shelter. I have some bubble wrap, some cardboard and some tarpaul.
00:57 So a bunch of items I can get together to hopefully create something for the big sleep out.
01:01 It hadn't quite sunken in yet that this would be my bed for the night but I was ready to face the night's sleep amongst my fellow volunteers.
01:09 So it's currently 12am at the moment. Some people have been up, we've been treated to some nice hot chocolate, some hot drinks, some hot food and just generally get to know everyone and being a part of the community.
01:20 It's all here for the same cause but it's now time to get to the shelter and actually try and get a bit warm as the cold weather continues to drop.
01:27 We're doing it for one night. Imagine that you get up and we can go home but imagine that vulnerability every single night.
01:37 It's important that people realise that there are vulnerable people out there sleeping in the streets, often hungry, cold.
01:45 We all need to, in civilised society, we all need to join hands to make sure that we try our very best to support these important charities.
01:54 It's currently 6am and after a long hard night, everyone's finally taken down their shelters and heading home.
02:00 The night was cold, uncomfortable and many like myself were in and out of sleep throughout the night.
02:05 This event was only a small window into the everyday experience for an individual who is without a place to call home but it did show me the important values of community and kindness for one another.
02:16 Everyone involved gave up their personal comfort for an important cause and it's that strong sense of goodwill that we must carry in order to make change for the people who sleep rough on our streets in Kent.
02:27 Allegra Webb for KMTV in Chatham.